Some of the problems associated with defining the prairie work force are evident in this graph based on 1911 census figures. The "Agricultural" category, for example, includes homesteaders and farm operators, some of whom occasionally worked for wages in mines and on railway construction but, for limited periods, also employed farm workers. In Saskatchewan farming occupied 60 percent of the work force.
Labourers in all industries other than agriculture, fishing, logging and mining fall under the "Industrial Labourers" rubric.
The "Managing" category encompasses those who were not wage-earning members of the working class. It includes owners, managers and the self-employed in professional, commercial, financial and proprietary positions as well as those engaged in fishing, hunting and trapping. As the regional headquarters for a large number of firms, Manitoba dominated the professional, commercial and managerial occupations. A function of its larger population, Manitoba dominated every category except Agricultural , "Mining", and "Logging". With its emphasis on manufacturing, railways and urban construction, Winnipeg became the most significant centre of working-class strength on the Prairies.
Courtesy: National Film Board of Canada, and National Museum of Man, National Museums of Canada
